Better stay on the “Nice” list this year because Deschutes Brewing has three different versions of the Abyss maturing for the cellar geeks in the crowd. There will be the usual Imperial Stout version but this year flanking it will be a Rye Whiskey barrel aged version on one side and a Cognac barrel aged version on the other.
Up From the Cellar – The Abyss 2009
Deschutes Brewery is in the Up From the Cellar spotlight this month and we again hack through the wax to the bottle cap underneath. Today it is The Abyss from way back in 2009!
Per the beer’s description from their website, The Abyss is brewed with” licorice and molasses with 33% aged in oak and oak bourbon barrels.” and it pours an lighter shade of black that no light gets through with tinges of dark brown on the edge. When I first popped the cap, an unmistakable hit of licorice greeted the nose from a couple feet away. It isn’t as prominent in the aroma as it warms up but it is there lurking in the background. I say this because licorice and anise can really overpower a beer to negative effect. Here it is a component not a star. What I really get hits of in the aroma are cigar and tar notes. Not BBQ smokey and not campfire but essence of cigar being lit.
The taste has coffee grounds and a hint of cherry like sourness. Molasses sneaks in a bit as well but this has a fruit tinge that I was not expecting at all. A taste that eclipses the licorice. I am not getting any off notes here either which I take to mean that I didn’t hold onto it for too long and that it might last past the 5 years I held it.
Colder, the flavor drifts more to fruity than the dark with an almost Oud Bruin quality to it. Warmer it really showcases a dark smoke and caramel fig viscosity that is quite after dinner drink worthy. This is a fireplace with friends discussing world events type of beer.
VERDICT – This is a success! I have had Abyss (in various incarnations) in the past five years and this stands up with them in taste. There are multiple flavors intermingling. It isn’t “hot” in the alcoholic sense and it flat out tastes great. It fared much better than the Stoic did and it does encourage me to want to lay down a bottle of this year’s model if I can find one.